From 'Good Stuff' to 'Good Grief!': We Ranked all the Classic 'Peanuts' Movies
Before Howard Stern came along, Charles M. Schulz held the title of King of All Media. Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, you couldn’t escape the Minnesota-born cartoonist’s groundbreaking creation, Peanuts, and its signature character, underdog extraordinaire, Charlie Brown. Not only was it the most popular comic strip in the nation, but it also spawned a steady stream of television specials (including enduring classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown), a Broadway show (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown) and a number of jazzy albums (Jazz Impressions Of a Boy Named Charlie Brown). And at a time when animated movie franchises were few and far between, Charlie Brown starred in four feature films released between 1969 and 1980 that were only modest box office hits at the time, but enjoyed robust afterlives on television and VHS.
Now, after a three-decade break, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock and the rest of the Peanuts gang are headed back to theaters in The Peanuts Movie, a close collaboration between the Schulz family (Schulz himself passed away in 2000) and Blue Sky Studios. Apart from its use of 3D animation, the new film strives to capture to the tone and spirit of vintage Peanuts, hoping to delight a new generation of fans, as well as those who grew up watching the original movies over and over again. As the Peanuts movie franchise prepares to enter its next era, we look back at the four previous films to see what they taught us about life, love, and Charlie Brown.
4. Snoopy, Come Home (1972)
Plot: Snoopy gets a backstory! Before taking up residence in Charlie Brown’s backyard doghouse/Sopwith Camel, he was owned by a little girl named Lila, who requests his presence while she’s convalescing in the hospital and hopes to make his visit permanent. While Snoopy and Woodstock make the journey there, Charlie Brown struggles to adjust to life without his best canine friend.
Charlie Brown-iest Moment: Tossing a rock into the ocean, Charlie Brown is admonished by Linus for ruining that stone’s four-thousand year journey to shore.
Best Snoopy Scene: Snoopy straps a boxing glove to his nose, and plays Muhammad Ali to Lucy’s Joe Frazier, rope-a-doping and stinging-like-a-bee against his opponent’s hard-knock punches.
Sign of the Times: While their bodies slumber peacefully, Snoopy and Woodstock’s spirits awaken and embark on a journey through a psychedelic landscape. Hey kids, today’s secret word is…acid trip!
MVP: With Snoopy taking center stage, Charlie Brown becomes a supporting character in his own franchise. And yet, he’s possibly even more appealing that way. The movie’s best sequence is his trip to a nearby fair at the urging of Peppermint Patty, where his inherently gloomy nature contrasts amusingly with the colorful surroundings.
Why It’s No. 4: If you ever thought there couldn’t possibly be such a thing as too much Snoopy, Snoopy Come Home will cure you of that notion. Since there’s little doubt that he’ll ultimately choose to stick with Charlie Brown, there’s not a lot of drama (or humor) in his cross-country trip to see the walking plot device that calls herself Lila. (The excess Snoopy may be why Snoopy Come Home proved the lowest-grossing Peanuts feature, earning under $300,000 during its initial theatrical run.)
3. Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don’t Come Back) (1980)
Plot: A foreign exchange program sends Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty and Marcie — plus tagalongs Snoopy and Woodstock — abroad to Europe. While Chuck and Linus are stuck staying at a foreboding chateau with an unpleasant host, Marcie and Patty compete for the affections of local kid, Pierre. Also, Snoopy somehow manages to score a driver’s license, and pilots the gang’s rental car, staying (mostly) on the road.
Charlie Brown-iest Moment: Tasked with buying some French bread for lunch, Charlie Brown struggles to get the oversized loaf back to his friends in one piece.
Best Snoopy Scene: A card-carrying member of England’s famed Wimbledon Tennis Club, Snoopy strides onto Center Court to hit a few balls around, but winds up doing his John McEnroe impression, hurling abuse at the chair umpire until he’s tossed out on his tail. You might say that Wimbledon has little “Love” for Snoopy.
Sign of the Times: Pretty much any scene involving air travel places the movie in the distant past. Not only are these kids allowed to fly all the way to Europe without any adult supervision, but they also don’t have to take off their shoes or wait for pat-downs in the TSA line.
MVP: Whether playing the violin to accompany Snoopy’s tavern reverie or demanding his fair share of the first class airplane meal, Woodstock is always hovering around to provide his best buddy with a helping hand or hearty laugh.
Why It’s No. 3: Kudos to Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown for apparently kick-starting the “send the characters to Europe” trend that other ‘80s film and TV franchises borrowed going forward. (After the Peanuts kids visited the Continent, everyone from the Muppets and the Keatons to the Griswolds and the Bundys toured Europe in the ‘80s and early ‘90s.) It’s also interesting to learn how much of the movie drew on Schulz’s own experiences as an American soldier stationed in France during World War II. But his personal story seems more compelling than the one told in this movie, which lacks much of the character-based humor the series is known for. Bon Voyage also makes two other tweaks to the Peanuts formula that cost it points: 1) The adults speak in words, not those wah-wah-wah sounds, and 2) Peppermint Patty and Marcie are forced to compete for the same guy when clearly they’re meant for each other.
2.A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)
Plot: With neither his kite flying nor his baseball careers working out the way he’d hoped, Charlie Brown decides to prove himself a winner by participating in the school spelling bee. Lo and behold, he winds up making it all the way to the national finals in New York City.
Charlie Brown-iest Moment: The very first word he’s tasked with spelling is “Failure.” Shockingly, he gets it right! (Don’t worry — he commits a classic Charlie Brown goof later on.)
Best Snoopy Scene: Snoopy participates in the popular NYC tourist pastime of taking a spin around the Rockefeller City ice skating rink.
Sign of the Times: Steve McQueen’s ultra-stylish heist movie, The Thomas Crown Affair, came out the year prior to A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Schulz must have been a big fan, because the movie is filled with Thomas Crown-style split screens.
MVP: Lucy is just on fire in this movie, orchestrating an epic Charlie Brown takedown for the ages. First, she puts together a slideshow that depicts his many, many faults and failings, from a lack of coordination and style to a fat nose and legs. Later on, she uses instant replay technology to analyze his missed football kick in excruciating detail. Finally, she invents a catchy tune about his “Failure Face.” Best lyric? “In the race to be stupid/You’ve set a brand new kind of pace.”
Why It’s No. 2: In its visual and narrative simplicity, A Boy Named Charlie Brown remains the most faithful cinematic version of Schulz’s comic strip. It’s also relentlessly mean to Charlie Brown in a way that the later films — up to and including The Peanuts Movie — are scared to be. But that’s in keeping with the early years of Peanuts, which never sought to sugarcoat the random cruelty of other children, or life itself for that matter. The comedy comes from watching good ol’ Charlie Brown soldier on in the face of countless challenges, knowing that it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
1. Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977)
Plot: A trip to camp becomes a battle for the ages when the Peanuts crew splits into male and female teams to compete in a river rafting race against a gang of bullies and their obnoxious cat.
Charlie Brown-iest Moment: Taking it upon himself to play hero while his friends are stuck atop a water wheel, Charlie Brown shimmies down one of the wooden spokes to figure a way out of their predicament. “Charlie Brown is going to save us!” the rest of the gang yells, happily. Wishful thinking, kids. Mere inches away from land, he stumbles and knocks loose the stick that’s holding the wheel in place, prompting the kids to shout, “We’re all going to die!”
Best Snoopy Scene: Coming into the girls’ cabin to give them goodnight kisses, Snoopy gets tangled up in Peppermint Patty’s waterbed and the two bounce back and forth, like boats on rocky sea.
Sign of the Times: Eschewing the bus, Snoopy and Woodstock ride to Camp Remote on an Easy Rider-style motorcycle. (Snoopy also apparently raided Evel Knievel’s wardrobe for his helmet-and-cape combo.)
MVP: Peppermint Patty is our hero for running the girls’ group like a real democracy, while the boys are falling all over themselves making bad decisions. Of course, she does kind of cost the group their victory in the end with an ill-timed celebration, but to her credits she ultimately does what any good captain would do: leave no man behind.
Why It’s No. 1: Here it is, folks: your perfect Peanuts film. The river rafting competition lends Race For Your Life the strong narrative spine that the other films lack and gives each of the major players their turn in the spotlight. And like any good underdog sports movie — think Hoosiers or Cool Runnings — it works in plenty of opportunities to cheer on the heroes and hiss at the villains.
